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The Indonesian government announced on Jun. 20 that they will designate Jun. 28 and 30 as collective leave days for Eid al-Adha, or Hari Raya Haji.

The additional leave days were announced via a joint ministerial decree signed between the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of State Apparatus Utilisation and Bureaucratic Reform, CNBC Indonesia reported.

“The Joint Decree will take effect on the date set (Jun. 16),” it read.

It was previously said that Indonesia would only observe one day of national holiday for Eid al-Adha, which falls on Jun. 29.

This means that Indonesians will be getting a longer Eid al-Adha holiday from Jun. 28 to Jul. 2, including the weekend.

Eid al-Adha

Eid al-Adha is one of the two main holidays celebrated by Muslims.

It is known as the Feast of Sacrifice and honours the Prophet Abraham (or Ibrahim), who was willing to sacrifice his son Ishmael (or Ismail) as a test of faith.

It also commemorates the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which all Muslims are expected to perform at least once in their lifetimes.

The decision to add more leave days was also raised as Indonesian authorities acknowledged that the holiday may be observed on different days, CNN Indonesia reported.

Jokowi: more holidays to encourage spending

The collective leave days apply to all civil servants, while the stock exchange will also be closed on the designated days, according to Bloomberg.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, said on Jun. 21 that the additional holidays were declared so as to boost the economy.

“The holiday break should encourage the economy, especially in the regions and local tourism areas, to be better. Because we saw that it could be extended, that was what we decided.”

This was in line with a special appeal he made to Indonesians in February 2023, in which he urged them to spend more money rather than save, in order to boost economic growth.

End of pandemic, start of endemic

On Jun. 21, Jokowi also declared the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia, marking the start of an endemic stage.

Saudara-saudara sebangsa dan setanah air.

Tiga tahun lebih kita telah berjuang bersama menghadapi pandemi Covid-19. Mulai hari ini, Rabu 21 Juni 2023, pemerintah mencabut status pandemi dan kita mulai memasuki masa endemi. pic.twitter.com/2i6UmL0JS6

— Joko Widodo (@jokowi) June 21, 2023

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture said that the additional holidays serve as a form of gratitude for the official end of the pandemic and transition to endemic, CNN reported.

Other reasons cited by officials for the long holiday were so that parents can spend more time with their children while Muslims can worship in peace without worrying about work.

Some oppose long holiday

However, not everyone has taken the declaration of additional holidays well.

The President of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) and Labor Party Said Iqbal told CNBC that it could lead to inconsistent working days in one working calendar year.

He called for the policy not to be repeated again as it could result in a fall in Indonesia’s competitiveness, especially when other destinations continue to operate as usual during the country’s extended holidays.

“If this is allowed to continue, it will reduce the competitiveness of Indonesian products. That is why investors prefer to invest in Vietnam, Thailand and China rather than Indonesia," Said was quoted as saying.

The Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Indonesian Employers' Association, Sofjan Wanandi, similarly commented that the policy of additional leave days would be detrimental, CNBC reported.

He noted that Indonesia's working time of 40 hours weekly was already fewer than the 50 hours weekly in other countries, and working hours will be further reduced with the number of holidays.

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Top image via Twitter/@jokowi & Unsplash/Adrian Pranata